Buraidah Dates Carnival: World's Largest Date Market

The Buraidah Dates Carnival is welcoming visitors of all ages at Dates City, south of Buraidah in the Qassim region, in one of the largest seasonal date markets in the world. This edition runs for an extended season until mid-October, opening daily from 4:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Organized by the National Center for Palms and Dates and the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, under the supervision of the Qassim emirate and with support from Qassim Municipality and security authorities, the carnival brings together thousands of farmers, marketers, traders and consumers on a major agricultural marketing platform.

The event showcases more than 100 date varieties grown in Qassim, including Sukkari, Barhi, Sagai, Khalas and Nabut Saif, alongside date-based processing industries, productive family stalls, and palm-related handicrafts. Visitors can also enjoy heritage and poetry evenings, folk group performances, a dedicated children's and drawing area, and a rural farm section highlighting the region's agricultural heritage. Community activities also take place at King Khalid Cultural Center in Buraidah.

The Qassim branch of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture runs a pavilion offering guidance on palm care, pest prevention and control, harvesting, handling and storage, date inspection and pesticide-residue testing to safeguard product quality and safety.

Described as the world's largest annual date carnival, the market plays a significant economic role. Sales in a recent edition reached about 3.2 billion SAR, with an average of 2,000 vehicles transporting dates daily and visitor numbers exceeding 800,000. The carnival supports the agricultural and tourism goals of Saudi Vision 2030, while promoting Saudi dates to more than 100 countries.

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